


Day 5: Snow

by GemmaRose



Series: Week of Corazón [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, Kuzan is 18, Roci is like 10/11, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:59:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7476033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes it pays to talk to strangers.</p>
<p>Or: Rocinante plays in the snow, and befriends the teenager who’s making it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 5: Snow

“Pleeease?” Rocinante whined, clasping his hands and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

“I already told you, Roci.” Sengoku sighed, looking up from his desk. “I’ll take you to the park when I’m done with this paperwork.”

“But I’m old enough to go alone now!” Rocinante insisted, stomping his foot. His heel rang dully against the carpeted floor of his adoptive father’s office, and he crossed his arms. “Takashi’s dad lets him go to the park on his own, and he’s way smaller than me.”

Sengoku raked his fingers through his curly hair, and fixed Rocinante with a tired look. “Can you promise me that you won’t leave the playground area?”

Roci beamed, uncrossing his arms and running around the desk to hug the Vice Admiral. His sneakers skidded slightly on the well-worn carpet, though, and he yelped as he fell hard on his side. “I promise!” he grinned from the floor, pushing himself back up.

“Don’t forget to wear a jacket.” Sengoku called after him as he left the room.

“I won’t.” he called back, and grabbed his favourite hoodie from the coat room near the main entrance on his way out. The deep purple-red fabric was soft and warm, and the drawstrings on the hood could make it scrunch up so there was only a tiny little hole to look through. Plus the pockets could hold plenty of neat stuff.

Rocinante hummed idly as he walked down to the park, crunching leaves underfoot as he went. It’d be winter soon, which meant snowball fights with the townie kids and hot chocolate in the mess hall and the base’s Secret Solstice gift exchange. A chilly breeze cut right through his hoodie, and Rocinante shivered. He was almost at the park, and pulled his gloves out of his pockets. The swings were the best part of the park if nobody else was around, but the chains got cold really fast and tended to pinch, so Sengoku insisted he bring gloves.

A squeaking noise drew Rocinante’s attention to the swings on the other side of the fence, and his eyes widened at the sight of a lanky teenage boy occupying the best one. The boy’s skin was darker than the pictures he’d seen of the Shichibukai Crocodile, and his hair looked like Sengoku’s in the morning, but somehow looser. But more notable than his skin or hair or old-looking clothes was the snow falling gently around him.

“How’re you doing that?” Roci asked, looking through the bars of the fence. The boy looked over, and cocked his head.

“Why do you want to know?” he asked, his voice already grown-up deep and very bored.

“Because it’s cool!” Rocinante grinned, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “Snow is the best.”

“C’mon in, kid.” the teenager tilted his head, and Rocinante hurried over to the park’s entrance then back to the swings.

“So, how’re you doing that?” he asked again, rocking from heel to toe eagerly with his hands clasped behind his back.

“And why should I tell you?” the teen asked, holding the chains of the swing on the insides of his elbows as he leaned forward. “I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m Donquixote Rocinante.” Roci said quickly. “Who’re you? Are you human?”

The teen laughed and leaned back. “Name’s Kuzan, and I’m definitely human.” he chuckled. “I ate the Ice-Ice Fruit. This,” he gestured to the snow which was still falling softly around him, “is just a little practice.”

“Whoooaaa.” Rocinante breathed, a wide smile spreading across his face. “That’s so cool!” he darted forward, bending down to scoop up snow for a test snowball, and his feet shot out from under him. He went down with a yelp, and was pulled up by the back of his hoodie before he’d even been on the ground for a second.

“You okay?” Kuzan was frowning down at him, and Rocinante grinned up at the older boy as brightly as he could.

“It’s alright. I fall down a lot.” he wriggled free of Kuzan’s grip and flipped his hood back up. “Wanna have a snowball fight?” he patted his gloves together, the later of wet flakes clinging to the fuzzy fabric easily packing into a small lump of snow.

“I’m not sure that would be fair.” Kuzan said, mouth curling at the edges in a small smile.

“Then we can make snowmen!” Roci grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“That sounds better.” Kuzan nodded, and flicked his hand towards the sky with a muttered word Rocinante didn’t catch. The snow started falling all over the park, so thick and heavy it whited everything out for a few long seconds, and when it cleared there was a solid half a foot all around them. “Oops.” Kuzan muttered, looking at his hand. “Overdid it.”

“Best. Devil fruit. _Ever_.” Rocinante beamed.

**Author's Note:**

> And when Sengoku came to pick up Roci he brought Kuzan back to base too for a cup of warm cider. Kuzan decided to enlist, and the rest is history.


End file.
